


Rabbit Fire!

by themadmarchhare42



Category: Looney Tunes | Merrie Melodies
Genre: Bugs and Daffy are friends, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 02:23:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6176551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themadmarchhare42/pseuds/themadmarchhare42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his burrow burns down, Bug's looses his memory of who he or his friends are, including Daffy Duck. However, his friends won't give up on him and attempt to return his memory. This story was inspired by the Fanfiction 'Things we lost in the Fire' by Sophie07</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

God I wrote this a long time ago... Originally posted on fanfiction.net (and still there)

\-----

The fire surged throughout the burrow, the flames creeping through the tunnels and out into the surface, spitting at the nights sky.

"...I am a screw and you'd be too if the merry go round broke down..." Daffy sung to himself as he made his way along the lane. He was looking forward to cooking himself some seed-pasta he'd found in the unfortunately named '101 Recipes for Ducks'

As he passed the area of the forest where Bugs lived, a few minutes out of town, he spotted the trees were shrouded with black smoke.  
"The merry go round..." He slowed his pace "broke..."  
He spotted a slight flicker of flame through the trees.  
"Down..." he whispered, dread eating at his gut. "BUGS!" He shouted, running towards the blaze and nearly crashing into trees, legs going ten to the dozen.

The burrow's entrance was glowing crimson, plumes of black smoke billowing out into the sky, fogging the air.  
Daffy rushed to the burrow, trying to make out anything through the flames below. "BUGS!" Daffy shouted, coughing as he breathed in the smoke. "BUGS, WHERE ARE YOU?!"  
There was no reply. Daffy's heart sank.  
He was still inside.

Wile.E Coyote peered through the bush he was crouched in, watching the Roadrunner as it picked at the pile of berries he'd left out as bait. The bird had decided to take a break from the desert and spend sometime in the Everglades, and naturally the coyote had followed.  
He readied himself to spring. Just one step closer and...

A yell of terror broke the air above them and both of them started, looking around for the source. It was then that they noticed the distant glow of fire through the trees.  
The Roadrunner looked round at the berrybush and beeped, as if to say "Should we help?"

Wile.E blinked. Five hours of hiding and following as silently as he could and the bird had known he was there all along!?  
Grumbling silently, he stood up and brushed himself off, then nodded. They both rushed to the edge of the forest, and towards the blazing burrow.

Daffy watched in horror as part of the ground collapsed a few meters away, over what he recognized at the pantry. The flames lept up higher with the new fallen fuel.  
He'd called the fire brigade, but he knew that they wouldn't reach him in time to save Bugs.  
He was considering diving into the hole when he heard footsteps behind him. His heart lept for a moment, thinking Bugs had escaped the fire, but when he spun round he saw Wile.E and the Roadrunner standing there, staring at the blazing inferno.  
Quickly, Daffy started into action.  
"Quick! Bugs is still in there!"  
The Roadrunner beeped as if to say "We'll help!" And Wile.E nodded in agreement.

Daffy and Wile.E dropped down the hole, allowing the Roadrunner to tear past them, searching the rooms with lightening speed. As they entered the threshold, they heard a beep from one of the tunnels and, arms covering their mouths to protect them from the smoke, they made their way through the fire towards the room.  
The Roadrunner stood over an armchair, an unconscious Bugs collapsed in it. Daffy rushed over to him, Wile.E helping him lift Bugs onto the Roadrunner's back.  
"Lets get out of here!" Daffy shouted over the rumble of ground above giving way, sprinklings of earth falling into their fur and feathers.  
They headed for the door. They were barely into the corridor when the ceiling crashed down onto the armchair that Bugs had been in barely a minute beforehand, crushing the frame and popping the seams, sending stuffing flying through the air.  
There was a groan and the ceiling sagged. Daffy knew what was coming and cringed, expecting to feel the crushing force of the ceiling landing on top of him.  
Suddenly, a figure appeared at the hole, first grabbing Daffy and then The Roadrunner, Wile.E Coyote clinging onto the Roadrunner's neck for dear life at it was lifted clear of the flames. They were thrown onto the cool grass outside of the burrow, just moments before the ceiling fell in where they had been standing.

Daffy gulped in the clean air, pushing himself into a sitting position with his arms. Wile.E was also gulping down air, but the Roadrunner was trying to push the limp Bugs upright, trying to open his mouth so he could breath in air, beeping pleadingly for him to wake up.

The fire brigade was here, it had been one of the firefighters who had pulled them out. They were attacking the fire with the full force of their water hoses, easing away the heat of the spitting fire. The borrow slowly filled the water, a book and a carrot floated just beneath the surface like abstract fish.  
An ambulance arrived soon after, the fire nearly completely extinguished and the firemen were setting up a machine to drain the water.  
Bugs was loaded onto a stretcher and given oxygen and Daffy and the others were put alongside him with minor burns.  
"Don't worry." Daffy said when a nurse offered bandages "We're used to it..."


	2. Chapter 2

At the hospital Daffy and the others were discharged after the doctors discovered the cartoon characters talent of recovering almost instantly from minor injuries. Bugs, however, hasn't woken up yet.

By that time, Sylvester, Porky, Speedy Gonzales, tweety pie and Elmer had turned up to see what was happening. They sat in the waiting room alongside Wile.E, Roadrunner and Daffy, twiddling their thumbs as they waited for news on Bugs.  
About an hour later, one of the nurses stuck her head round the door.  
"He's awake, but has a broken arm and some minor burns. He can only see a person at a time, just in case."

Wile.E went in first, standing by the side of the bed. Bugs sat up, startled at the appearance of the Coyote.  
"Yes?" Bugs asked "C-can I help you?"  
Wile.E looked confused. He held up a sign.  
'Bugs, it's me.'  
"Why are you holding a sign? Can't you talk?"  
'You know I can't bugs'  
"Who are you anyway? And who's bugs?" Bugs looked a bit taken back.  
Wile. E stared for a second, dumbfounded. Then he held up another sign.  
'Stop fooling around bugs, you know me...'  
"Who's Bugs? I've never seen you before in my life!" Bugs exclaimed.  
Wile.E blinked for a second then ran for the door.  
'Daffy, come quick!' His new sign read in large red letters 'Bugs has lost his memory!'  
Daffy and the Roadrunner looked round for the nurse and, seeing no one, followed Wile.E back into the room.  
Bugs lay there, a confused and fearful expression on his face as the three stood by the bed.  
"Bugs, it's us" Daffy said. The roadrunner beeped in agreement.  
"Hello." Bugs said "More strangers. And this time you can talk."  
"Hehe..." Daffy laughed through gritted teeth. "Come on bugs, you can't have forgotten us."  
"I'm sorry..." Bugs said "but I've never seen you before."  
Daffy felt like the world was crumbling beneath his feet. Here he was, and his oldest friend didn't even recognise him.  
"B-but you know me! We're practically family bugs!"  
"Who's this bugs? I think you've got the wrong room."  
Daffy thought for a second, wracking his brain for a way to get bugs to remember them. Suddenly, it hit him.  
"Wait here!" He said dashing out the room. He returned a minute later, dragging Elmer with him.  
"Elmer, shoot me."  
"What?" Elmer asked. Daffy had never asked this before. "But..."  
"Just shoot me!"  
Elmer put his gun to his eye and, reluctantly, shot Daffy in the face. As the smoke cleared Daffy stood over Bugs' bed, bill hanging off his face at an odd angle, smoking feathers and wild eyes.  
Bugs yelped at this sight.  
"Oh god, are you alright!?" Bugs asked. Daffy took off his bill and reattached it in its normal place.  
"Why did you do that to yourself?"  
Daffy stood, smouldering slowly.  
"You really don't remember do you?"  
Daffy asked.  
Bugs shook his head solemnly.  
"I'm sorry, but I don't even know who I am. You guys seem nice and all but..."  
But before bugs could finish, the door opened and in walked two policemen.  
"Daffy duck, Wile.E Coyote and Roadrunner, we need to ask you some questions about the fire."  
Daffy sighed and, along with the other two, headed for the door.

As bugs was once more left alone, he sniffed the air and the smell of burnt feathers and cordite reached him.  
He sat for a while, a shadow of memory moving round in the back of his mind. Slowly, as he fell asleep once more he muttered to himself  
"Duck season..."

Bugs was discharged from hospital a few days later. Due to being a cartoon his arm was healing faster than normal, but the recovery wasn't going to be instantaneous.  
His burrow was in ruins because of the fire, but Granny was all too happy to let him stay.  
"The insurance will pay out." She told him. The fact that he didn't remember her OR the burrow didn't bother her, she just introduced herself again and enjoyed going through the family albums again to try to rejig his memory. It didn't work.

Daffy, his less serious injuries healed with his cartoon healing speed. By this time, Bugs new his name but still was having difficulty recalling his friend's names. They thought it best not to tell him, thinking that maybe him recalling their names on his own would trigger his memories to return.  
As Daffy came through the front gate he wondered with a dim hope that staying at Granny's house would have triggered his memory.  
"Hey, duck." Bugs greeted him as he came through the door. Daffy sighed, his hope vanishing. Still no memory.

"I was thinking of maybe we could salvage some things from your burrow today." Daffy told him. "And then maybe go and look for a new place to dig a new one."  
"A burrow?" Bugs asked "why would I live in a burrow?"  
Daffy stared for a moment and blinked.  
"Because you're a rabbit..." Daffy said  
"And I live in the ground?"  
"Got in in one."  
"But why? I like it here, above ground with granny and her cat and bird."  
As if on cue, there was a loud crash and a yell of pain and tweety came fluttering through into the room, Sylvester following behind, his head trapped in the bird cage. Tweety swerved into the next room but Sylvester didn't react fast enough, crashing into the wall and falling back, a lump growing on his head.  
Bugs chuckled, now used to the cartoon antics after Daffy's recovery from the shooting by Elmer, watching Sylvester stomping off in a huff to try and remove the birdcage.

"At least come to the studio with me to try to film out new short." Daffy said, handing Bugs a script. Bugs stared at it.  
"I act?"  
Daffy snorted "Yeah... Acting..."  
"Since when?" Bugs asked  
"Look." Daffy said sliding a video into the player and flicking through the cartoons. "That's you..."  
'Ehh... What's up doc?' The television bugs asked.  
"But I can't act..." Bugs said, looking up at Daffy.  
Daffy rolled his eyes, wanting to say something snide like 'you can say that again...' but stopped himself.  
"You don't need to act. Do what you always do, just be yourself."  
Grudgingly, Bugs agreed and the two of them set off for the studio.  
They ran into a few people on the way who greeted bugs, knowing nothing of the fire. Bugs cowered away from the strangers as they passed, confused at Bugs apparent loss of confidence.  
"He'sth just rehearsing for a new short where he is being chased by a monster." Daffy lied to them and they brightened up, walking on their way.

The studio was alive with people today, all bustling around the courtyard, pushing props and directing actors, many of which were cartoons.  
The Warners dashed past, followed by Ralf the Security guard, Mr. Plotts the studio manager screaming orders at him to "Get them out of my sight!"  
"Hey Daffy!" Someone shouted over by the main studio. "Cameras role in 10 minutes if you and Bugs want to run it through first!"  
"Alright mac!" Daffy yelled, taking Bugs arm and dragging him across the lot.

Elmer was already on the stage by the time they arrived, looking over his script and trying to perfect his gun hold. Bugs went up to him.  
"Hello, do you work here?" He asked "because I don't think they allow guns on set..."  
Daffy heard a creaking sound of a rope with a heavy load and looked up at the rig above them, a large piano swung from the rig by long rope, a team of stagehands trying to position it on one of the upper floors of the set.  
His heart leapt at a new opportunity to get Bug's memory back  
"Drop that on him." He suddenly asked. Bugs looked taken aback.  
"What?"  
"Drop it on him." Daffy insisted "Go on, just like in the cartoons you saw."  
"But I'd never..."  
"Look, He'll be fine. You saw how quickly I recovered when I was shot." Daffy said, prompting Elmer who nodded in agreement, catching onto Daffy's plan. "Drop it on him."  
"No..." Bugs said, stepping backwards. He accidentally bumped Elmer who was once again lining his gun up to test the barrel, causing Elmer to pull the trigger, the bullet soaring through the air, hitting one of the cameras which spun round, knocking over the vase on one of the shelves of the set, tipping it over and causing it to hit one of the loose shelves that the stage hand hadn't been able to attach to the brackets yet. The bit of wood catapulted a wooden sculpture upwards by the force of the vase, hitting a stagehand working on one of the upper levels in the head. The stagehand wobbled and grabbed at the nearest thing to steady himself, which happened to be a table which fell over, sending a prop axe which had been sitting on it tumbling down, through the air, slicing neatly through the rope pulley keeping the piano up. The piano rocked for a second, then fell.  
Daffy looked up at the falling piano, looked ahead at the watching crew.  
"Mother." He said weekly.  
The piano hit him, clanging tunelessly as the wood smashed and the keys flew in all directions. The crew fell silent, the rig hands staring down guiltily at the piano.  
"Oops..." Bugs said.

There was movement under the piano and, spluttering, spitting out splinters, daffy pulled himself out from under the piano, bloodshot eyes blazing. He marched right up to bugs, feather flying off him in plumes.  
"You..." He croaked "You're... You're DESTHPICABLE!" He cried.

You're desthpicable... The word echoed round Bug's mind, bouncing round his skull

Desthpicable...rabbit season... Duck season... Daffy Duck... Wile.E Coyote... ACME...Tweetie Pie... Putty tat...Sylvester... Elmer Fudd... Wabbits... Yosemite Sam... Roadrunner... Meep meep...

Bugs scowled, yet kept his cool.  
"Yes Daffy?"  
"YOUR DISTHPICABLE AND Icable, and all round desthpicable and..." Daffy slowed down as what Bugs said sunk in.  
"Yes...?" Bugs asked.  
"Bugs?" Daffy asked  
"Of course you realise that this means war..." Bugs said.  
Daffy shrieked and threw himself at Bugs.  
"Your back! Your memory! You remember!"  
"I certainly do Daffy." Bugs nodded as Daffy detached himself. Bugs spun round, a smile on his face.  
"Right, stagehands, clear that piano away, cameras get ready to roll, Mr. Director sit down, Mel get over to the recording booth... let's get this picture started!"

\------  
T-T-T-T-That's All Folks!


End file.
